I think that what Nancy Upton is doing to speak out about how larger or plus size women are viewed is a great thing, but I need to point out that at a size 12, Upton is the size I was at my smallest, most 'regular' weight. So it is rather hard for me to see her as a champion of plus size women when she's just a bit curvy, but otherwise 'normal' looking and can wear regular clothing and not have to shop at Lane Bryant or Fashion Bug or 16 Plus or Catherines because those are the only places to buy, for example a sports bra (and I could only find my size, 3X, at the Auburn Fashion Bug recently because the Lane Bryant clerks all said that Lane Bryant doesn't believe larger women work out enough to warrant them having a full line of sports bras in larger than 'normal' sizes 'around', not in cup). Anyway, here's the link to the article and most of the article below, with another link to Upton's website, wherein lie her photos, which are pretty funny, I think.
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/10/10/dallas-woman-launches-social-commentary-at-american-apparel-wins-contest/
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – When American Apparel launched a campaign looking for plus-sized models, it ran a contest called ‘The Next Big Thing.’
Dallas resident Nancy Upton saw that and she was put off by its pitch. But instead of complaining, she entered the contest, playing on the stereotypes as a joke.
“How do they really picture us?” she asked. “Do they picture us sitting around all day being lazy and eating fried chicken?”
The ad said it was “calling for curvy ladies everywhere!”
“You know, ‘bootyful’ or ‘curvalicious,’ as opposed to calling us sexy, or attractive, or beautiful,” Upton said. “No plus sized woman in her right mind would have written that.”
So Upton, who has never modeled before, enlisted the talent of her friend Shannon Skloss to shoot the photographs she had in mind.
“She was like, ‘hey, you want to do it?’ I was like, ‘yeah, sure, let’s go for it. I completely stand behind you,” Skloss said. “We made a list of what order to do them in, from cleanest to messiest so that way we could just go into each one right away.”
The end result? Outrageous pictures featuring Upton lying naked, face down upon a dinner table, or bathing in a bathtub filled with ranch dressing. Another, she’s sitting in the kitchen covered in chocolate syrup. Another has Upton swimming in a pool, chicken wing firmly in hand.
“I definitely wanted there to be an element of satire and kind of an underlying statement about, like, perceptions of beauty in America; perceptions of overweight people and body awareness,” Upton said.
After American Apparel posted the photos online, Upton ended up taking the top spot in the contest. She would end up winning – the popular vote. The company wasn’t too happy with the outcome.
Upton said they sent her a letter saying, “It’s a shame that your project attempts to discredit the positive intentions of our challenge … and that booty-licious was too much for you to handle.”
The company chose 10 other women to represent its brand. And Upton said she’s OK with that decision.
“I stated pretty blatantly on my blog that if I was asked, I would say no, because I feel if you are going to be the face or the body or the voice of the company, you really should agree with as much as the company’s history as you can find out about, as much as their manufacturing and marketing philosophies and those kinds of things,” Upton said. “I don’t think we would click that way.
But not everyone was OK with American Apparel’s decision, and folks complained. As a way of making amends, the company flew Upton and Skloss out for a tour of its Los Angeles factory.
They’re now back in Dallas, exploring numerous opportunities that have come their way as a result of the pictures.
They’re already working on a book.
http://extrawiggleroom.tumblr.com/post/9836643886
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Finished at Fifty?
Let me first state that I am not normally a quitter. I have, throughout my life, seen things through to the often bitter end. Sometimes that has been a good thing, and sometimes it has just taken a huge toll that was far worse than quitting would have been.
But I've been doing some thinking lately about how fat and old and STRESSED I've become, and how many things I've failed at, including keeping to a 'normal' weight, and it just seems like I have been struggling against Sisyphean odds for far too long...since I was 5 and was put on cortisone for asthma and my weight bloomed as a result, to be exact.
Now that I am suffering the consequences, also called 'side effects' of Humira that seem very like the side effects of cortisone, I feel like Paris during WW2, outnumbered, outgunned and looking at an indefinite occupation of enemy forces.
In other words, the joint pain and stiffness, the headaches, the weight gain, the fatigue and irritability and the rosecia have taken over, and I am surrendering my body because I don't have the energy to do battle against them, or the knowledge of how to mitigate them, at the very least. If I stop taking the Humira, my guts swell up and I can't go to the bathroom for weeks at a time, though I have cramps and bloating and pain, which is a miserable state to be in. But I still can't eat raw veggies (and some I can't even eat cooked, like broccoli and cauliflower) fruits with seeds, nuts, dairy or eggs, onions (including shallots, leeks and chives) garlic, meats with nitrates, peas, pole beans, or whole grains like whole wheat and oatmeal, which sends my colon into complete shut down.
So all that advice from Dr Oz and the bazillion books on diets and weight loss don't hold much hope for me. Nor can I use one of the pre-made meal diets that are so popular, (Jenny Craig, Nutra System, Weight Watchers) though I wouldn't be able to afford them anyway. All of them, from what I have seen, have dairy, eggs, nuts and onions in nearly every dish, not to mention the artificial sweeteners they put in the snacks, which give regular people diarrhea, let alone someone with a touchy colon!
Add to that the frustration of hardly being able to move in exercise class many times,because I ache all over and feel so stiff and tired, and the stress of not having enough freelance work to make a living (like most journalists, I am watching my career swirl down the drain in favor of online news sites, which are using more free content and blog posts than legitimate articles written by experienced,skilled journalists) and you have more days when I don't even want to get out of bed than days when I feel I can overcome any of this. I ask myself "Why bother?" and 9 times out of ten, I have no good answer.
I love my son, and of course want to stay alive long enough to see him get into college and started on making a life for himself, but I figure his father will die long before I do, because he isn't caring for his diabetes and drinks to excess, so if statistics are anything to go by, he will not make it to 60, and I will have to try and raise the boy the rest of the way through high school. I have no idea how we will survive without our main income, but I will have to think of something when the time comes.
Meanwhile, I think I will just kick back and try to stay alive in these rough times. Wish me luck.
Here's a funny bit about a product that I could use, as I spend a lot of time in the bathroom with Crohns troubles, and this would make it a bit 'sweeter' in there:
Via Unbridled Books: Positing that the place where people read the most
is the bathroom, the bookstore chain 100,000 Books, in Yekaterinburg,
Russia, "came up" with this very clever product: Book Fresheners
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz11278504.
The launch was part of an ad campaign
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz11278505
But I've been doing some thinking lately about how fat and old and STRESSED I've become, and how many things I've failed at, including keeping to a 'normal' weight, and it just seems like I have been struggling against Sisyphean odds for far too long...since I was 5 and was put on cortisone for asthma and my weight bloomed as a result, to be exact.
Now that I am suffering the consequences, also called 'side effects' of Humira that seem very like the side effects of cortisone, I feel like Paris during WW2, outnumbered, outgunned and looking at an indefinite occupation of enemy forces.
In other words, the joint pain and stiffness, the headaches, the weight gain, the fatigue and irritability and the rosecia have taken over, and I am surrendering my body because I don't have the energy to do battle against them, or the knowledge of how to mitigate them, at the very least. If I stop taking the Humira, my guts swell up and I can't go to the bathroom for weeks at a time, though I have cramps and bloating and pain, which is a miserable state to be in. But I still can't eat raw veggies (and some I can't even eat cooked, like broccoli and cauliflower) fruits with seeds, nuts, dairy or eggs, onions (including shallots, leeks and chives) garlic, meats with nitrates, peas, pole beans, or whole grains like whole wheat and oatmeal, which sends my colon into complete shut down.
So all that advice from Dr Oz and the bazillion books on diets and weight loss don't hold much hope for me. Nor can I use one of the pre-made meal diets that are so popular, (Jenny Craig, Nutra System, Weight Watchers) though I wouldn't be able to afford them anyway. All of them, from what I have seen, have dairy, eggs, nuts and onions in nearly every dish, not to mention the artificial sweeteners they put in the snacks, which give regular people diarrhea, let alone someone with a touchy colon!
Add to that the frustration of hardly being able to move in exercise class many times,because I ache all over and feel so stiff and tired, and the stress of not having enough freelance work to make a living (like most journalists, I am watching my career swirl down the drain in favor of online news sites, which are using more free content and blog posts than legitimate articles written by experienced,skilled journalists) and you have more days when I don't even want to get out of bed than days when I feel I can overcome any of this. I ask myself "Why bother?" and 9 times out of ten, I have no good answer.
I love my son, and of course want to stay alive long enough to see him get into college and started on making a life for himself, but I figure his father will die long before I do, because he isn't caring for his diabetes and drinks to excess, so if statistics are anything to go by, he will not make it to 60, and I will have to try and raise the boy the rest of the way through high school. I have no idea how we will survive without our main income, but I will have to think of something when the time comes.
Meanwhile, I think I will just kick back and try to stay alive in these rough times. Wish me luck.
Here's a funny bit about a product that I could use, as I spend a lot of time in the bathroom with Crohns troubles, and this would make it a bit 'sweeter' in there:
Via Unbridled Books: Positing that the place where people read the most
is the bathroom, the bookstore chain 100,000 Books, in Yekaterinburg,
Russia, "came up" with this very clever product: Book Fresheners
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz11278504.
The launch was part of an ad campaign
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz11278505
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Horrifying News from South Dakota
I don't normally share my views on hot button topics like abortion (I'm very pro-choice) on my blogs, but as a woman who has been raped and knows what it is like to fear for her life in case of unplanned pregnancy, I just couldn't let this horror go by without comment or post. This is from the ACLU's Blog of Rights:
We'll See You in Court: South Dakota's Governor Signs Outrageous Law Restricting Abortion Care
Today, South Dakota's governor, Dennis Daugaard, signed a bill that creates unprecedented restrictions on access to abortion care. As we've blogged before, this law requires women to wait 72 hours between the first counseling session with the doctor and the abortion; it also requires women to first visit "crisis pregnancy centers," entities that are notorious for providing false and misleading information; and requires doctors to tell the woman of any possible risk factor published in medical and psychological journals since 1972. These new restrictions are on top of the long list of abortion restrictions in South Dakota, and come from a state that has one abortion provider.
If the law were to take effect, the consequences for women in South Dakota would be devastating. Given that Planned Parenthood is the only abortion provider in South Dakota, and they are in Sioux Falls, some women already must travel great distances to see a physician. But under the law, they would have to make to make two trips: one to visit with the doctor in person, and then another 72 hours later for the abortion. In the meantime, they must visit a crisis pregnancy center, which, under the law's requirements, must be anti-choice.
At the crisis pregnancy center, the woman must tell the staff her private reasons for having the abortion and give the name of her doctor. These intrusions into women's private lives are outrageous, and they also put physicians at risk for violence and harassment.
And just in case the law was not cruel enough, there is no exception for women who have been raped, who are survivors of incest, or have a wanted pregnancy that is doomed.
So we're headed to court. We won't stand for this blatant mistreatment of women and blatantly unconstitutional law. We'll join Planned Parenthood in court to stop the law in its tracks so no woman is faced with these burdensome, humiliating requirements.
I sincerely hope that Governor Daugaard gets his arse whupped in court, because the women of his state deserve much better treatment than this. They deserve access to clean and safe reproductive health care, and not back alley abortions or access to only those horrible 'crisis' pregnancy centers that offer no solutions at all to a woman in distress with unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.
We'll See You in Court: South Dakota's Governor Signs Outrageous Law Restricting Abortion Care
Today, South Dakota's governor, Dennis Daugaard, signed a bill that creates unprecedented restrictions on access to abortion care. As we've blogged before, this law requires women to wait 72 hours between the first counseling session with the doctor and the abortion; it also requires women to first visit "crisis pregnancy centers," entities that are notorious for providing false and misleading information; and requires doctors to tell the woman of any possible risk factor published in medical and psychological journals since 1972. These new restrictions are on top of the long list of abortion restrictions in South Dakota, and come from a state that has one abortion provider.
If the law were to take effect, the consequences for women in South Dakota would be devastating. Given that Planned Parenthood is the only abortion provider in South Dakota, and they are in Sioux Falls, some women already must travel great distances to see a physician. But under the law, they would have to make to make two trips: one to visit with the doctor in person, and then another 72 hours later for the abortion. In the meantime, they must visit a crisis pregnancy center, which, under the law's requirements, must be anti-choice.
At the crisis pregnancy center, the woman must tell the staff her private reasons for having the abortion and give the name of her doctor. These intrusions into women's private lives are outrageous, and they also put physicians at risk for violence and harassment.
And just in case the law was not cruel enough, there is no exception for women who have been raped, who are survivors of incest, or have a wanted pregnancy that is doomed.
So we're headed to court. We won't stand for this blatant mistreatment of women and blatantly unconstitutional law. We'll join Planned Parenthood in court to stop the law in its tracks so no woman is faced with these burdensome, humiliating requirements.
I sincerely hope that Governor Daugaard gets his arse whupped in court, because the women of his state deserve much better treatment than this. They deserve access to clean and safe reproductive health care, and not back alley abortions or access to only those horrible 'crisis' pregnancy centers that offer no solutions at all to a woman in distress with unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The St Patrick's Day Greenish Blues
So I was wandering through a poetry list made by some Lit professor who hates all the classic poets I adore (like Carl Sandburg and Pablo Neruda), when I came across this poem by TS Elliot, who is, apparently, still in favor in the academic community.
Anyway, it occurred to me that what he's saying here could easily be changed to be about Crohns Disease. So forgive me, Thomas Sterns Elliot, if I replace the word "river" with the word "colon" and contemplate the 'strong brown god' that is my troubled digestive system.
(The Dry Salvages—presumably les trois sauvages—is a small
group of rocks, with a beacon, off the N.E. coast of Cape Ann,
Massachusetts. Salvages is pronounced to rhyme with assuages.
Groaner: a whistling buoy.)
The Dry Salvages
I do not know much about gods; but I think that the COLON
Is a strong brown god—sullen, untamed and intractable,
Patient to some degree, at first recognised as a frontier;
Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce;
Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges.
The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten
By the dwellers in cities—ever, however, implacable.
Keeping his seasons and rages, destroyer, reminder
Of what men choose to forget. Unhonoured, unpropitiated
By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and waiting
Anyway, I've been on Humira for 8 months now, and have gained 45 pounds back in that amount of time, as well as gaining headaches every Monday and Tuesday, joint pain in my shoulders and elbows and back, plus a pica-like tendency to need to chew ice 24/7, probably due to anemia and vitamin D deficiency. So while I am taking some iron tablets and vitamin D supplements, I still have painful flares and trouble going to the bathroom at least once a week, which is still too much. I am still also going to the WIO gym 5 times a week, and I've gotten Jim signed up at the MVF gym, so that's a step in the right direction, but it's still depressing that I seem to be gaining weight without changing my diet that much. But, since I have no insurance, I can't go back to see my gastro doc, so I am going to have to just deal with where I am now and try to accept myself as I am at the moment.
Anyway, it occurred to me that what he's saying here could easily be changed to be about Crohns Disease. So forgive me, Thomas Sterns Elliot, if I replace the word "river" with the word "colon" and contemplate the 'strong brown god' that is my troubled digestive system.
(The Dry Salvages—presumably les trois sauvages—is a small
group of rocks, with a beacon, off the N.E. coast of Cape Ann,
Massachusetts. Salvages is pronounced to rhyme with assuages.
Groaner: a whistling buoy.)
The Dry Salvages
I do not know much about gods; but I think that the COLON
Is a strong brown god—sullen, untamed and intractable,
Patient to some degree, at first recognised as a frontier;
Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce;
Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges.
The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten
By the dwellers in cities—ever, however, implacable.
Keeping his seasons and rages, destroyer, reminder
Of what men choose to forget. Unhonoured, unpropitiated
By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and waiting
Anyway, I've been on Humira for 8 months now, and have gained 45 pounds back in that amount of time, as well as gaining headaches every Monday and Tuesday, joint pain in my shoulders and elbows and back, plus a pica-like tendency to need to chew ice 24/7, probably due to anemia and vitamin D deficiency. So while I am taking some iron tablets and vitamin D supplements, I still have painful flares and trouble going to the bathroom at least once a week, which is still too much. I am still also going to the WIO gym 5 times a week, and I've gotten Jim signed up at the MVF gym, so that's a step in the right direction, but it's still depressing that I seem to be gaining weight without changing my diet that much. But, since I have no insurance, I can't go back to see my gastro doc, so I am going to have to just deal with where I am now and try to accept myself as I am at the moment.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving, Belly
Today is the day my belly gets happy and stays happy all day long!
But first, here's a telling little blurb about Sagittarians like myself and my son, Nick, who turns 11 on Saturday, November 27.
"Sagittarians excel at skipping past details so they can keep the big picture in mind -- this helps them take the long view and develop a philosophical approach to life. As the Sun travels though this future-oriented Fire sign, get ready to take a good look at the road ahead. Where do you want to go? Is there something that would spark your enthusiasm and give your life greater meaning? Whether you're making short- or long-term plans, leave your old ideas behind so you can create room for new ones. You may be surprised by what you discover!
Finally, happy birthday to all you Sagittarians! Your enthusiastic outlook inspires the rest of us to reach higher and take risks!"
From IVillage Astrology.
So I'm nearly back to where I was when I started at Work It Out, in terms of weight, but I've got more muscle mass than I've had before, and I am stronger and able to do things that I wasn't able to do before, like take long walks and get up a flight or two of stairs without breaking a sweat. I also have more energy and endurance than I would have if I didn't exercise 5 days a week. I've appreciated that more than ever this week, when snow and ice closed down my favorite gym all week and I wasn't able to hang with my homegirls on the spin bikes or in balls and weights class. I really miss Carol and Janice and Suzanne and Lynn and all the other instructors and workout pals I've befriended. They are such wonderful, caring and compassionate people. They make my life better every time I step foot in the gym. So on Thanksgiving day, I can honestly say I am ever so thankful for Work It Out Womens Fitness--You ladies ROCK!
But first, here's a telling little blurb about Sagittarians like myself and my son, Nick, who turns 11 on Saturday, November 27.
"Sagittarians excel at skipping past details so they can keep the big picture in mind -- this helps them take the long view and develop a philosophical approach to life. As the Sun travels though this future-oriented Fire sign, get ready to take a good look at the road ahead. Where do you want to go? Is there something that would spark your enthusiasm and give your life greater meaning? Whether you're making short- or long-term plans, leave your old ideas behind so you can create room for new ones. You may be surprised by what you discover!
Finally, happy birthday to all you Sagittarians! Your enthusiastic outlook inspires the rest of us to reach higher and take risks!"
From IVillage Astrology.
So I'm nearly back to where I was when I started at Work It Out, in terms of weight, but I've got more muscle mass than I've had before, and I am stronger and able to do things that I wasn't able to do before, like take long walks and get up a flight or two of stairs without breaking a sweat. I also have more energy and endurance than I would have if I didn't exercise 5 days a week. I've appreciated that more than ever this week, when snow and ice closed down my favorite gym all week and I wasn't able to hang with my homegirls on the spin bikes or in balls and weights class. I really miss Carol and Janice and Suzanne and Lynn and all the other instructors and workout pals I've befriended. They are such wonderful, caring and compassionate people. They make my life better every time I step foot in the gym. So on Thanksgiving day, I can honestly say I am ever so thankful for Work It Out Womens Fitness--You ladies ROCK!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Great Idea from Dan Savage
Having been subjected to bullying during my entire junior high and high school career, (for being fat and smart, not for being gay) I can empathize with the teens who are constantly being bullied, threatened and humiliated.
That is why I am delighted Dan Savage has created this project (from Shelf Awareness):
The It Gets Better Project
http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3642037Biz10148639, a
viral video campaign intended to speak directly to gay youths who are
subjected to bullying and homophobia, will be adapted as a book and
published by Dutton. The New York Times
http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3642037Biz10148640
reported that the book, a "collection of essays from celebrities and
ordinary people who want to share their stories," is scheduled for
publication next March. Dan Savage, who started the project, said he
will contribute proceeds from the book to organizations supporting gay
youth.
Go Dan!
That is why I am delighted Dan Savage has created this project (from Shelf Awareness):
The It Gets Better Project
http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3642037Biz10148639, a
viral video campaign intended to speak directly to gay youths who are
subjected to bullying and homophobia, will be adapted as a book and
published by Dutton. The New York Times
http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3642037Biz10148640
reported that the book, a "collection of essays from celebrities and
ordinary people who want to share their stories," is scheduled for
publication next March. Dan Savage, who started the project, said he
will contribute proceeds from the book to organizations supporting gay
youth.
Go Dan!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Freezing Fall
Brrr! We are midway through September and already it is really cold outside, and of course, rainy and overcast...it wouldn't be the Seattle area without drizzle, mist and sleet.
We only had about 2.5 weeks of summer this year, which was fine with me but left a lot of sun worshippers and Vitamin D seekers upset. I am not a fan of heat, but I don't mind a bit of sun every now and then. My husband, who was born on an Air Force base in Ankara, Turkey (a very hot place) and raised in St Petersburg, Florida, (another very hot place) hates the sun, loathes sweating and hot weather and would rather sleep in a bedroom with icicles hanging from the ceiling than be in a temperate climate. Like most middle-aged men, he has a beer gut and a tendancy to give off the same amount of heat as the pot-bellied stove he resembles. So from his perspective, I gather it is a matter of not overheating that has him sleeping with the doors from the bedroom to the deck wide open every night, even in winter. Never mind that the squirrels and bluejays consider the bedroom their second home.
WIO is on fall schedule now, and unfortunately, there isn't an aerobics class every night of the week, so I'm having to get creative and find ways to take some morning classes so that I can get at least 5 days of exercise in. There is a new Tai Chi class that I find interesting to watch but not at all attractive to attend, because there is no heart-rate-hiking, fat-burning movement to the class at all...it's more like a standing, slow version of yoga, which I can't do and don't enjoy. So last night I just went in and ran on the elliptical machine for 40 minutes, then used the weight machines to get in some muscle building time. Now today I am trying to figure out how I can attend my son's curiculum night and still make it to spin class at 6:30pm. What I am hoping is that if I start walking there at 5:30 that I can get to the school in time to have a quick chat with Mr Finch, my sons teacher, and then run up to WIO before class begins. Usually when I make plans like that, we have a deluge of rain,(I hate walking in the rain)or something else comes up that prevents me from achieving my plan, but we shall see for this evening.
In other gut news, I've been on Humira for 11 weeks now, taking the 40 milligram shots on Wednesday each week, and suffering a headache-filled Tuesday when I can barely go to the bathroom and I have tremendous lower left side back pain. After taking my shot yesterday, I spent a lot of time in the bathroom going, and going, and going again, and feeling both relief and fatigue. Still, it was a hectic day and I had to grocery shop, do a lot of emailing, run errands and find the time to pick up Nick after school and get to WIO. So by 10 pm, I was exhausted.
I'm trying not to beat myself up about the weight I've gained since my colon operation last summer (to remove a stricture due to Crohn's Disease), because I knew that with a post-op regimen of cortisone, even a short course, comes 25-30 pounds. But because I exercise and don't eat junk food (though I do eat sugar on my cereal and in my tea), I feel like I am not in bad health, considering the asthma, allergies and Crohns situation. I feel like there's a sturdy frame with muscle under the pudge on my upholstered belly. I'm built like my dearly beloved grandma Semler, who was sturdy, stout and a cancer survivor who never let her size dictate what she could or could not do. Dr Oz has recommended that people who want to lose 10 pounds can stop eating after 8 pm, and get enough sleep, eschew caffiene, eat more veggies and exercise, and I figure those are all things I can do, whether or not they help me lose weight.
Meanwhile, my friend Adrian, who is a whiz with Apple computers (Macs), sent me this link on the healthful, allergy-reducing benefits of yogurt: http://www.realage.com/tips/choose-this-creamy-breakfast-be-sneeze-free?kw=ist
I had to tell him that all dairy products make me ill because I am not just allergic to milk sugars, I am allergic to bacteria in milk products, like yogurt and cheese, that require cultures to become what they are. I am allergic to mold, fungus and bacteria that change foods. So mushrooms are out, as is yogurt, cheese, miso, wine and many kinds of salami (I also can't tolerate nitrates and MSG, so there are a number of lunchmeats that make my joints hurt and swell up like I have arthritis). Add to that list of food allergies eggs, strawberries, honey, green beans, mangoes and nuts and you'd think I would be skinny from not having anything to eat that doesn't endanger my health.
There's still plenty of meats, shellfish, salmon, non-whole-grain breads, fruits, veggies and soy products that I can eat, though, and sugar also doesn't bother me, so I manage to eat a lot of tasty food and remain large, unfortunately. Portion control has always been a problem for me, but it is something that I am mindful of, so I try and work on it every day.
We only had about 2.5 weeks of summer this year, which was fine with me but left a lot of sun worshippers and Vitamin D seekers upset. I am not a fan of heat, but I don't mind a bit of sun every now and then. My husband, who was born on an Air Force base in Ankara, Turkey (a very hot place) and raised in St Petersburg, Florida, (another very hot place) hates the sun, loathes sweating and hot weather and would rather sleep in a bedroom with icicles hanging from the ceiling than be in a temperate climate. Like most middle-aged men, he has a beer gut and a tendancy to give off the same amount of heat as the pot-bellied stove he resembles. So from his perspective, I gather it is a matter of not overheating that has him sleeping with the doors from the bedroom to the deck wide open every night, even in winter. Never mind that the squirrels and bluejays consider the bedroom their second home.
WIO is on fall schedule now, and unfortunately, there isn't an aerobics class every night of the week, so I'm having to get creative and find ways to take some morning classes so that I can get at least 5 days of exercise in. There is a new Tai Chi class that I find interesting to watch but not at all attractive to attend, because there is no heart-rate-hiking, fat-burning movement to the class at all...it's more like a standing, slow version of yoga, which I can't do and don't enjoy. So last night I just went in and ran on the elliptical machine for 40 minutes, then used the weight machines to get in some muscle building time. Now today I am trying to figure out how I can attend my son's curiculum night and still make it to spin class at 6:30pm. What I am hoping is that if I start walking there at 5:30 that I can get to the school in time to have a quick chat with Mr Finch, my sons teacher, and then run up to WIO before class begins. Usually when I make plans like that, we have a deluge of rain,(I hate walking in the rain)or something else comes up that prevents me from achieving my plan, but we shall see for this evening.
In other gut news, I've been on Humira for 11 weeks now, taking the 40 milligram shots on Wednesday each week, and suffering a headache-filled Tuesday when I can barely go to the bathroom and I have tremendous lower left side back pain. After taking my shot yesterday, I spent a lot of time in the bathroom going, and going, and going again, and feeling both relief and fatigue. Still, it was a hectic day and I had to grocery shop, do a lot of emailing, run errands and find the time to pick up Nick after school and get to WIO. So by 10 pm, I was exhausted.
I'm trying not to beat myself up about the weight I've gained since my colon operation last summer (to remove a stricture due to Crohn's Disease), because I knew that with a post-op regimen of cortisone, even a short course, comes 25-30 pounds. But because I exercise and don't eat junk food (though I do eat sugar on my cereal and in my tea), I feel like I am not in bad health, considering the asthma, allergies and Crohns situation. I feel like there's a sturdy frame with muscle under the pudge on my upholstered belly. I'm built like my dearly beloved grandma Semler, who was sturdy, stout and a cancer survivor who never let her size dictate what she could or could not do. Dr Oz has recommended that people who want to lose 10 pounds can stop eating after 8 pm, and get enough sleep, eschew caffiene, eat more veggies and exercise, and I figure those are all things I can do, whether or not they help me lose weight.
Meanwhile, my friend Adrian, who is a whiz with Apple computers (Macs), sent me this link on the healthful, allergy-reducing benefits of yogurt: http://www.realage.com/tips/choose-this-creamy-breakfast-be-sneeze-free?kw=ist
I had to tell him that all dairy products make me ill because I am not just allergic to milk sugars, I am allergic to bacteria in milk products, like yogurt and cheese, that require cultures to become what they are. I am allergic to mold, fungus and bacteria that change foods. So mushrooms are out, as is yogurt, cheese, miso, wine and many kinds of salami (I also can't tolerate nitrates and MSG, so there are a number of lunchmeats that make my joints hurt and swell up like I have arthritis). Add to that list of food allergies eggs, strawberries, honey, green beans, mangoes and nuts and you'd think I would be skinny from not having anything to eat that doesn't endanger my health.
There's still plenty of meats, shellfish, salmon, non-whole-grain breads, fruits, veggies and soy products that I can eat, though, and sugar also doesn't bother me, so I manage to eat a lot of tasty food and remain large, unfortunately. Portion control has always been a problem for me, but it is something that I am mindful of, so I try and work on it every day.
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